Origins of the Arab Israeli Conflict

A Variety of Starting Points ●Biblical enmity between Abraham’s sons: Isaac and Ishmael ●the advent of Islam ●the prophet Mohammed’s quarrel with the Jews of Medina ●the emergence of Zionism in the 19 th century ●British colonial policy in the early 20 th century

A Conflict of Competing Nationalisms: Zionism and Arab nationalism embarked upon a course of parallel development in the 19 th century as predominantly secular political ideologies based on emancipation and self- determination. --Kirsten Schulze, ‘The Arab-Israeli Conflict’

Both Zionism and Arab nationalism evolved around the concepts of: ● IDENTITY ● NATIONHOOD ● HISTORY ● RELIGION ● CULTURE

Zionism ●Classical Zionism was rooted in the traditional ties Jews in the Diaspora proclaimed to the Land of Israel, and the belief that Jewish independence would be restored with the coming of the Messiah. ●With the development of the humanistic ideals of the Enlightenment (citizenship, political responsibility, etc.), Classical Zionism began to be transformed into modern political Zionism.

Modern Political Zionism  Ideological foundation consisted of the following beliefs:  the Jewish people constituted a nation and this nationhood needed to be acknowledged by the international community  assimilation was rejected as undesirable and impractical  anti-Semitism could only be overcome by physical separation and by self-determination  religious and cultural ties to the Land of Israel made Palestine the logical territorial claim

Zionism Goes International ●Theodore Herzl, an Austrian playwright and journalist, was one of the key thinkers ●His book, Der Judenstaat (1896), sparked a movement, which insisted that the creation of a separate state was the only solution. ●The Zionist Organization was formed and the First Zionist Congress convened in Switzerland in ●Through this institutional basis modern Zionism evolved from a small intellectual movement into an international force.

Immigration to Palestine A major aliyah —or immigration wave—began in 1904 and lasted a decade. Most of the immigrants were fleeing tumultuous times in Russia. 60,000 Russian immigrants This aliyah began the establishment of a proto-Zionist state within Palestine And, of course, the events that occurred in Europe in decades following only accelerated the development of modern Zionism

The Emergence of Arab Nationalism ●Arab nationalism is essentially the belief that the Arab people constitute a single political community and should be united in some sense under a common government. ●Like Zionism, Arab nationalism began in small intellectual circles. ●Small Arab nationalist societies and literary clubs began emerging across the Arab world in the late 19 th century—centered around the ideas of UNITY, LANGUAGE and CULTURE.

The Reactionary Elements of Arab Nationalism  A strong anti-Turkish sentiment emerged as a result of centuries of Ottoman control  An anti-colonial/anti-imperial element was a natural reaction to European influences.  Anti-Zionism quickly became a central tenet of Arab Nationalism.

Diversity and Conflict within the Arab Nationalist Movement ●Despite its common aims, the movement was by no means unified. ●Views differed on: degree of autonomy type of political structure Leadership local national and tribal loyalties (a distinct Palestinian nationalism was one such split The disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the turmoil of the 1 st World War provided the perfect opportunity for these passions to explode.

The Impact of WWI The Ottoman Empire (Turkish) entered the war on the side of Germany. Britain started to cultivate allies among, both the Arabs and Zionists, to engender resistance against the Turks. Britain made promises that certain Arab territories under Ottoman control would be returned to Arab sovereignty if the Allies won the war. Britain’s promises were mistakenly interpreted as including Palestine. The result was that both Zionists and Arab nationalists believed Palestine had been promised to them—the seeds for conflict had been sown.

British Policy and the Palestine Mandate In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Balfour stated, ‘His Majesty’s Government viewed with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.’ British troops entered Palestine in 1918 and set up a provisional military government in Jerusalem. To avoid a power vacuum after the War, England and France carved up the Middle East into spheres of influence. The League of Nations granted Britain control of Palestine.

British Policy Cont’d Britain managed to build resentment with both the Zionists and the Arabs. For instance, in the international arena Britain tended to support Zionism, while in Palestine, British officials favored the Arabs, often influenced by concern for the Muslim opinion of the surrounding Middle East world. Blundering from one upsetting policy to the next, the British equivocation began to incite violence, beginning with the first Arab disturbances in 1920 and 21.